Just weeks after their most recent derby success, Inter Milan aim to heap more misery on AC Milan in Sunday's late kickoff at San Siro.
Having beaten their city rivals in the Supercoppa Italiana, now Inter seek victory to stay 'best of the rest' behind distant Serie A leaders Napoli. Meanwhile, the champions have conceded 12 times in losing their last three matches and may well be fearing the latest Derby della Madonnina.
Match preview
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Approaching the 178th Milan derby in Serie A, Inter lead the ledger with 67 wins to Milan's 54, though their most recent triumph outside league football came far from Italy's second city.
In Riyadh last month, Simone Inzaghi's Coppa Italia winners swept aside the Scudetto-holders in the Supercoppa Italiana, but they have experienced mixed fortunes since.
After last week's comeback win over rock-bottom Cremonese, when Lautaro Martinez scored twice to turn the scoreline around after an early setback, Inter have won nine of their last 12 top-flight matches - including against previously unbeaten Napoli - but they slipped up at home to Empoli in their most recent home fixture.
Tuesday's 1-0 win over regional rivals Atalanta then saw the Nerazzurri progress to the Coppa Italia semi-finals, and their defence of the trophy will continue with a two-legged tie versus Juventus in April.
While Romelu Lukaku continues to toil in his comeback campaign, Martinez and evergreen Edin Dzeko have kept the goals tally ticking along, but it is their record at San Siro which makes Inter many pundits' favourites to finish runners-up: no team has conceded fewer home goals in Serie A this season; only Napoli have gained more points on home soil.
They have lost both of their last two 'home' derbies in the league, however, which is as many as they had suffered in their previous 16.
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Searching for a third straight Serie A win against Inter for the first time since February 2004, Milan had held the upper hand over their stadium-sharing cousins of late, having dethroned them as champions by edging a dramatic title race last year.
A 3-2 victory in September's reverse fixture featured a memorable Rafael Leao brace, but prospects of doing the double over the Nerazzurri for the first time in 12 years have diminished rapidly given more recent results.
After fumbling two points at home to Roma, then exiting the Coppa Italia, Milan just managed to salvage a 2-2 draw at Lecce, but after their Supercoppa defeat in Saudi Arabia things have gone from bad to worse.
Thumped 4-0 by Lazio in the capital, Stefano Pioli's men ended last month with a 5-2 home humbling at the hands of struggling Sassuolo, as any lingering hopes of retaining the Scudetto crumbled before their fans' eyes.
With former Inter boss Pioli now under pressure to produce a turnaround for the derby, Milan are also aiming to avoid losing four games in a row for the first time since early 2017.
However, having conceded 18 goals during January - more than the club have ever shipped in a single month throughout Serie A history - they not only languish 15 points adrift of the summit but are also embroiled in the fight for a top-four finish.
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As both Stefan de Vrij and Nicolo Barella return from suspension, and midfielder Marcelo Brozovic is back in full training following an injury layoff, Inter coach Simone Inzaghi should have a full hand from which to choose on Sunday.
Veteran goalkeeper Samir Handanovic is also expected to return as back-up to Andre Onana, while Milan Skriniar could start in defence despite declaring his intent to leave San Siro in the summer.
Up front, Edin Dzeko partners Lautaro Martinez, the latter of whom has scored six goals against Milan in all competitions and would become the second-highest foreign scorer for Inter in this fixture by adding another.
Continuing their lack of luck on the injury front, Milan's lineup will be missing several key men, as a thigh problem for Ismael Bennacer sees the midfielder ruled out of the derby, in addition to Fikayo Tomori (hip) and first-choice goalkeeper Mike Maignan (calf).
Ex-Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has finally returned to training following an ACL reconstruction, but the 41-year-old will not be available to Stefano Pioli just yet. Instead, Olivier Giroud - who scored three times in his first two league meetings with Inter - leads the line up front.
In Bennacer's absence, Tommaso Pobega and Rade Krunic are front-runners to partner Sandro Tonali in central midfield, while rumours persist that Pioli may change his tried and trusted 4-2-3-1 formation in order to arrest his side's slump.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Onana; Skriniar, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Dzeko
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Tatarusanu; Calabria, Kalulu, Kjaer, Hernandez; Pobega, Tonali, Krunic; Saelemaekers, Giroud, Leao
We say: Inter Milan 2-1 AC Milan
Such has been Milan's collapse over recent weeks, it is hard to see them rallying for the Derby della Madonnina and preventing an Inter victory. While not quite the finished article, the Nerazzurri are more likely to win the midfield battle and boast plenty of possible goalscorers.
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